This recipe can be altered easily to have a taco taste or pesto taste or Asian taste, and so on. Think ahead as the recipe works best when the prepared batter sits in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight to allow old-fashioned oats, sourdough crumbs, and chia seeds to absorb liquid. Makes about two dozen burger patties.

chef cartoon 1Ingredients

  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup dried sourdough bread crumbs
  • ½ cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup cage-free egg whites
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup frozen white corn
  • 1 cup frozen petite peas
  • 1 sliced carrot
  • 1 zucchini squash
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
  • 1 Tbsp corn meal
  • 2 Tbsp chicken-style seasoning 
  • 2 tsp sage
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp ground celery seed
  • 1 tsp Himalayan salt
  • ½ tsp black or white pepper

Preparation

Place rolled oats, bread crumbs, chia seeds, corn meal, and all seasonings in a large bowl and mix well.

Place non-dairy milk, egg whites, and onion in a blender and liquefy. Pour out half the mixture and save.

Gradually add half the beans, corn, peas, carrot, zucchini, and broccoli to the blender liquid and mix until quite smooth. Pour into large bowl.

Pour remaining liquid mixture into blender and repeat with the remaining vegetable ingredients. Pour into the large bowl and mix well.

Additional Flavors as Desired

You can obtain variety by adding flavors to the original-flavor mix. For example:

  • Add some taco seasoning mix for a southwest flavor
  • Add some green pesto for a slight Italian flavor
  • Add some Asian seasoning, etc.

Baking

Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Fill a 1/3 cup metal measuring cup with batter. Tap out onto the parchment paper and flatten into a 4-inch round using a burger press or rubber spatula. Repeat process until all batter is used, with rounds separated by at least ½ inch.

Spray the underside of foil with olive oil and cover each cookie sheet—avoid the foil touching the burgers. Place in oven preheated to 400o F. Immediately turn heat down to 350° F and bake for 45 minutes until cooked through.

  • If you want to eat these immediately, remove foil cover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or so until brown.
  • If you want to freeze them remove foil and allow to cool. When cooled, cut squares of waxed or parchment paper. Carefully lift cooled patty from cookie sheet and place on a square of paper. Cover with another square of paper and another patty and so on. I typically freeze four to six at a time in a freezer container or plastic freezer bag.

To Reheat

Remove patties from the freezer and reheat in a frying pan sprayed with olive oil over medium heat until the patties are hot and browned or place on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil, cover with foil, and reheat in an oven pre-heated to 350° F until the patties are hot.

The patties can be taken frozen from the freezer and broiled on an outdoor grill. Turn over and add any type of healthy flavoring sauce you wish.

Serving

Serve on burger buns with choice of garnishes.

Can be served with brown or mushroom gravy, baked potato wedges, a vegetable, and salad, or with slices of cranberry sauce. The possibilities are almost endless....